Baseball 101
by Strange Music
Summary: Sometimes going back to the Dugout is not the end of the Game GreenRoss


Titel: Baseball 101  
  
Author: Strange Music  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Summary: Mark has his own experience with Baseball 101 (Green/Ross)  
  
Pairing: Doug Ross/Mark Green   
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the people that appear in my story.   
  
Nor have I any rights to the characterization of them.  
  
Based on the episode where Mark meets with three Ladies..only to end   
  
up with Doug ;)  
  
Baseball 101  
  
by Strange Music  
  
What did they say at Baseball.  
  
One  
  
Two  
  
Three  
  
And you are out?  
  
Well he definitely had managed this today.  
  
Three girls at the same time.   
  
All three strikes.  
  
And now he was out.   
  
With none of them wanting to have anything to do with him.   
  
Back to the Dugout  
  
Back to the start.  
  
First love.   
  
But for Mark it had always been something more.   
  
Doug was what he looked for in a relationship. And ever since that   
  
Basketball game in front of the clinic Doug knew it.  
  
"..I want someone to talk with who understands me."  
  
"So that means that I would be you perfect partner"  
  
He had said it in jest but Mark had seen that it hadn't been only teasing.  
  
Only that Doug hadn't believed that Mark was still holding onto a relationship that   
  
was so old. Not after he had been married and now had a daughter.   
  
And that for Doug the friendship was more important that *getting his rocks off*.  
  
Mark had only smiled.  
  
Back to the dugout.  
  
Doug had been the first for a lot of things in his life. He had been the first   
  
to mention becoming a doctor.   
  
He had been the one to tell him that this Jennifer that was watching him was   
  
a nice girl. At a time that had told Mark clearly that in soft word he wanted   
  
*out* of what they had.  
  
And he had let him out and started to met with Jennifer.  
  
But now Jennifer was gone and all that he tried to meet didn't meet what he   
  
was looking for.  
  
Back to The dugout.  
  
Back to Doug Ross who was now sitting across from him at the a finished   
  
candlelight Dinner.  
  
"Any plans on what we do now?"  
  
"Maybe we could see a movie?" Doug suggested  
  
"Or we could go bowling."   
  
But Doug gaze and his held up stick quickly reminded him that at least one   
  
of them wasn't exactly able to bowl at the moment.  
  
"Sorry"   
  
So they just remained at toasting to each other and draining the bottle of Champaign   
  
standing on the table in front of them.  
  
*+*+*+*  
  
It was 1 hours later that the conversation turned less serious witch each glass.  
  
2 hours later that they were joking like in old days  
  
3 hours till Doug told him that he loved him  
  
4 hours till they kissed and started making out.  
  
And it was 4 hours and 2 minutes later that they politely thrown out of the restaurant for it.   
  
*+*+*+*  
  
And now they stood in Doug's flat or as he called it babbling *Airport* because of   
  
the many airheads arriving and starting in it.  
  
"Me...do,.to?"   
  
"No Mark..not you"  
  
And with this the conversation was stopped again. Both man too busy trying to   
  
use their concentration to remain on their feet. Or better remaining the hold on   
  
the furniture that helped them remain on their feet.  
  
Standing beside the door, all that Doug did, was wordless extend a hand in   
  
direction bedroom and Mark just nodded and followed.   
  
"If you flat is the airport... then I don...want to know what you... would   
  
call your bedroom or your bed"  
  
Doug mumbled a reply but as he was already lying face down one the bed   
  
Mark had slight problem understanding it..  
  
So he just replied "Okay" and fell down on the bed beside Doug.  
  
Letting oblivion take over his sense.  
  
*+*+*+*  
  
It was an old-familiar guy playing drums on his head that greeted him when he woke up.  
  
The very familiar taste of something dead on his tongue.  
  
And the lack of memories of last night after ..after he and Doug..  
  
He sat up in alarm.   
  
"Doug?!"  
  
He winced at his own voice volume. Looking around through half closed   
  
eyes he still recognized the surrounding "Oh my God." He moaned before   
  
letting his head fall forward into his hands. And as in reply he felt the   
  
blanket at his side move and a moaned protest, muffled by the blanket   
  
was heard.   
  
"Just set the time of death on whatever time we have right now and let me   
  
rest in peace Mark."   
  
There was silence.  
  
Just before Mark was finished deciding whether or not Doug had gone back   
  
to sleep again. The blanket moved downward and a very sleep tousled face   
  
appeared . Looking at him with shaken eyes.  
  
"Oh my god Mark! Tell me I am seeing things."  
  
"I you are seeing things than I would hardly be able to tell you that you do."  
  
Apparently seeing the logic in this Doug only groaned.  
  
"Oh my god"  
  
Mark felt a sigh escape "I double that." He whispered as he let himself fall   
  
back onto the bed.   
  
Glancing to the ceiling he assumed that Doug was doing the same.  
  
"What happened?" he heard his voice carry over to me.   
  
"Beats me" As Mark turned my head to look over to him to see Doug eyes   
  
spring open. And with a look of fear he held up the blanket to gaze under.   
  
When he appeared again with a look of relive. It somehow strung Mark the   
  
wrong way.  
  
"Well looks like your virtue is still safe."  
  
Not getting Marks anger Doug just replied nonchalantly "Yes you were a   
  
very good boy."  
  
"I?"  
  
"Well I wasn't the one to get you drunk."  
  
This was enough to get the rest of Marks blood pressure high.   
  
Leaning on his elbow Mark made sure that Doug looked directly at him   
  
before starting   
  
"First of all! I didn't get you drunk. You did a pretty good job on this on   
  
your own. Second.I was as drunk as you were. Have hardly any memories   
  
of yesterday as well. And Third.Did you really think I just brought you to   
  
this dinner to get you laid?"  
  
He had gotten angrier at each word. And he could actually see Doug drew   
  
away from his anger.   
  
"I *didn't* mean to make it come out like this. I just meant that as I am not   
  
together with Carol and you are unlikely to get a relationship anytime   
  
soon...I just..well."  
  
Mark didn't know if his gaze visible hardened but Doug stutter made it   
  
clear that it did.   
  
"I am sorry Mark."  
  
"Never mind." After such a long time he should have given up any hope   
  
of ever being able to be anymore than just a friend to Doug.  
  
"How about if, five, I make us both a big nice cup of aspirin as apology."  
  
"Actually it would be, four, but I accept anyway."  
  
And for the moment the conversation was done. But it was definitely   
  
not finished, not in Mark's eyes.  
  
*+*+*+*  
  
So it was at the table, while they were both buried into their respective   
  
glasses, that he brought it up again.   
  
"I don't understand it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"How could you think that I was only out to 'get it on with you' "  
  
"Mark.."  
  
"No! I mean after I had Jennifer and you had..well virtually everybody   
  
that was female of age of consents and willing to say yes. After all our   
  
years of friendship.." He felt his teeth grind in anger. Reaching out for   
  
his glass he took a sip. Part to wet his throat and part to quiet his headache   
  
that hadn't reacted well to his raising of voice.   
  
"I wouldn't have minded."  
  
It was a good thing that he still been drinking aspirin when he sprayed it   
  
across the table. Coffee would have definitely been worse.   
  
"What?"  
  
He had been sure what he had heard yet still wanted to make sure before   
  
he replied to it.   
  
"I said that I wouldn't have minded 'this'" and with this Doug leaned   
  
forward and kissed him deeply.   
  
"Any I wouldn't have minded 'this' "   
  
He didn't see it but he definitely could feel Doug's hand as it stroke   
  
over his crouch. "I just would have objected being half drunk while doing it."  
  
The only all too familiar tingling, the one that only Doug seemed to be   
  
able to make him feel appeared.   
  
But it wasn't what he wanted. At least not like this.   
  
"No"   
  
He hoped that his voice sounded strong enough.  
  
"What?" Feeling the hand and with it the feeling drew back he had to bite   
  
back a sign of relive.   
  
"I said no Doug. Now I know that this is not a word that you are familiar   
  
with. But it is still in the regular vocabulary. At least in mine."  
  
Doug didn't say anything. Just looked baffled and also a bit hurt.  
  
"No I mean why?" he took a breath "I thought you wanted it too. At least   
  
I though it was so last night at the restaurant."  
  
"Doug."  
  
"I am sorry Mark. I truly thought.."  
  
"Doug! For gods sake will you listen to me!"  
  
Doug shut his mouth at the rather forceful way that Mark had taken his   
  
attention. And Mark was sure that he was listening he continued.  
  
"This is not whether I mind or not. Because I certainly don't mind kissing   
  
you or anything else that you suggested. But what I do mind is being just   
  
another one of your ones night stands."  
  
"I don't understands"  
  
And the thing was that Mark new that he really didn't.   
  
It had been all so easy back then.  
  
No Carol  
  
No Jennifer   
  
And especially no Rachel.  
  
But now it was. Now they were part of his life and he had to make his   
  
decision with them in mind. Even when he was divorced of Jennifer. Rachel   
  
was still his daughter. And he had to think of her when he made a decision.  
  
Too many years had passed since he had been able to make a decision like   
  
that without thinking.   
  
He was wiser and older now.  
  
And Doug was...well older.   
  
"I want either a relationship to last or none at all. If I learned a lesson at all of   
  
yesterday that that I am not made for short relationships."  
  
"Well I..."  
  
Mark smiled "It is okay Doug. I understand." He stood up to pick up the coffee   
  
that had finally run all through. His back was turned to Doug when he heard the   
  
soft reply "No you don't."  
  
Mark turned around and looked at Doug as he waited for him to continue.   
  
"You can't understand something that I am still working on myself."  
  
He nodded Doug to go on.   
  
Which he did.  
  
"I don't know if I am ready to leave woman behind. I am don't know if I am   
  
ready to look into the same face each morning. I don't know if I am ready for   
  
the kind of relationship that you have been living for so long. I don't know if I   
  
am ready for the relationship that you are looking for now.."  
  
Mark shrugged "That what I meant. I know that..."  
  
"Mark!"   
  
Doug raising his voice made him stop.  
  
"Let me finish."   
  
Mark closed his mouth and showed Doug that he had his attention to go on.  
  
"I don't know if I am ready for a relationship like that.but I am willing to try.   
  
I want to try. The question is..Are you willing to try with me? Knowing that I   
  
might sway into another direction next month. Knowing that 2 month from now   
  
I might tell you that in order to stay friend I think we should end it?"  
  
He took a deep breath.  
  
"Are you willing to take that for the chance that I will be happy with you?"  
  
Mark felt himself smile. Here he was...The man that didn't even play in the lottery   
  
because he didn't feel like gambling. Here he was looking at his maybe biggest   
  
gambling game of all.   
  
"We would both be taking chances...But yes.I am willing to try."  
  
And leaned he leaned forward to a kiss.  
  
And even in the dugout.   
  
It still felt like a homerun.  
  
The End's.  
  
Okay..the story was written and actually finished almost two years ago. Somehow it never made   
  
it into FFnet. And just remained on my HD.   
  
I have to say that the strange thing about that story is that neither Green nor Ross are my particular   
  
favourite but that the scene itself was just to good too pass.  
  
Hope you enjoyed it. Appreciate feedback. 


End file.
